Title: Never Trust A Stranger
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jethro Cane
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: Amnesty in January, 5_prompts
Prompt: 3, from Table 6 -- Look around cautiously
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jethro Cane. Please do not sue.

***

"Let's go see what's waiting for us!" Jethro told the Doctor, heading towards the door of the Tardis as soon as the ship landed. This was a planet that he'd heard a lot about from the Doctor, one that he had been curious about ever since the Time Lord had mentioned it.

A planet that was apparently deserted -- yet the Doctor had sworn that he could feel a presence there, one that kept itself well-hidden. He'd said that he wanted to go back to explore it, and Jethro had been urging him to do so for a while now.

"Wait a minute, Jethro." The Doctor was behind him, the Time Lord's hand falling onto his shoulder before he could bound down the three steps that led to the door of the ship. "Rushing out there into the unknown isn't a good idea. We need to proceed with caution."

Jethro couldn't help feeling irritated; hadn't the Doctor been here before? He should know if there was any danger on the planet. Sighing, he folded his arms over his chest, turning around to mee the Doctor's level gaze with a forthright stare of his own.

"You've been here before, so what's the problem?" he asked, his voice betraying his irritation. "You know what this planet is like. When we're on Earth, we can just go running out of the Tardis without a second thought, so why not here too? It's not like ...."

His voice trailed off as he realized what he was saying. No, they couldn't simply go running out of the Tardis whenever they were on Earth, especially if there were in a time period that wasn't exactly one of the safer times in his planet's long history.

There had been too many times since he'd been with the Doctor when they'd emerged from the Tardis to find that they weren't in a safe place. So it was no wonder that the Time Lord wanted to be careful and make sure that they weren't stepping out into danger.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, sighing and shaking his head. "I guess I'm just restless and I want to see a new place. I know you're only being cautious for our own good, Doctor. I just wasn't thinking." He tilted his head to the side, smiling at his lover. "Forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you, love," the Doctor said softly, reaching out to caress the young man's cheek. "I was like that, too, a long time ago, before I realized that it's always better to err on the side of caution. I don't blame you in the least for being impatient."

"But it's not a good way to be -- especially for somebody with my empathic abilities," Jethro said with another sigh. He wanted to kick himself; he should have known better than to think that they could simply go rushing out of the Tardis without any regard for their own safety.

"No, it's not -- but you're young, Jethro. And you've never been here before, so it's understandable that you'd want to run out into a new place as quickly as you can. I understand that," the Doctor told him with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

"So, what are we going to do?" Jethro moved to the console, looking down at the small viewscreens that showed what was outside the ship. "It doesn't look like there could be any danger -- but looks can be deceiving. I learned that a long time ago."

The Doctor nodded, joining him at the console and pointing to one of the two screens that they were looking at. "It doesn't look like there's anything going on that we need to be cautious about. But still, it's always a good idea to proceed carefully."

"Have you run into trouble here before?" Jethro asked, wondering if that was why the Doctor was being so cautious about this planet. "I've known you to take off out of the Tardis after just a quick look at what's outside, so you must have a reason for being so careful."

A grim look swept across the Doctor's features; Jethro knew that the expression on his lover's face meant that there was indeed a good reason for his caution. "I've had to deal with the Master here before," he said simply, leaving the explanation at those few words.

And with that, Jethro knew exactly why the Time Lord was being so cautious about setting out from the safety of his ship. The thought of running into the Master if they weren't prepared to deal with him made a shiver run down his spine, as though an icy finger had touched him.

"That's not a problem that I'm looking forward to running into," he said quietly, shuddering as he looked towards the door as if he thought that the Master might be standing just outside, waiting for them. "I could go a lifetime without ever seeing him face to face."

He hated the Master -- he always would. He might never have seen that bastard in the flesh, but he'd seen enough pictures to know what he looked like -- unless, of course, he'd regenerated into a new body. That possibility was always one that they had to be wary of.

He would never forget that the renegade Time Lord had almost taken his mind away from him -- not only his knowledge of his own empathic abilities, but his memories of being with the Doctor as well. The most precious memories that he would ever have.

For that alone, he would kill the Master if he ever had the chance. Even though he knew that the Doctor wouldn't approve of that thought at all, it was a personal vow that he'd made to himself. The Master was someone who deserved to die.

It took him a moment to realize that the Doctor was looking at him curiously; blinking, he returned the Time Lord's stare, wondering if he'd been scowling, as he so often did when he was sunk into thought. If that was the case, then the Doctor would want to know why.

"Don't look so serious, Jethro," the Time Lord told him, his voice soft. "I think we should just go out and look around cautiously at first. I'm not saying that we can't explore the planet. I just want to make sure that he isn't here this time, and that we'll be safe."

Or at least as safe as they could be when they were on a planet that the Doctor knew the Master had used as a hideout at some point, Jethro told himself, even as he nodded to acknowledge the Doctor's words. That idea was going to make them both a lot more cautious.

"So we'll go out and have a cautious look around -- and if it doesn't look dangerous, then we'll keep going, right?" he asked, hoping that was the way of it. He didn't blame the Doctor for being cautious, but he was curious about what this planet was like.

"Right," the Doctor told him with a nod. "The only caution I'm going to give you is to never trust a stranger on this planet. I found that out the hard way the last time I was here." His features hardened, a look coming into his eyes that Jethro didn't like to see.

"You must not have recognised him, then," Jethro murmured before he could stop himself. He didn't want to talk about the Doctor's encounter with the Master on this planet; it was obvious that it still bothered the Time Lord, and it wouldn't be a pleasant subject.

"No, I recognised him -- when I was taken to him," the Doctor muttered, looking away from his young lover. "But I was foolish enough to trust a stranger he'd sent to bring me to him -- someone who seemed friendly on the outside, but had motives I couldn't have guessed at."

"Well, that isn't going to happen this time," Jethro told him, reaching for the Doctor's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I"m with you -- and believe me, I won't trust a stranger for any reason. Not only here, but anywhere we go. I've learned that from you."

"As long as we stick together -- and make sure that we look around cautiously before we go running into anything -- then we'll be fine," the Doctor said, returning the gentle pressure of Jethro's hand. "So, are we ready to go out and explore this planet?"

"I'm ready!" Jethro said, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice. He followed the Doctor down the steps to the door, almost holding his breath as the Doctor opened the portal and wondering what kind of adventure they might be walking into.

***